Sponsor:

Adel Mahmoud, Lecturer with the Rank of Professor in Molecular Biology and Public Policy

C. Jessica Metcalf, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Public Affairs

Adel Mahmoud M.D., Ph.D., is a lecturer with the rank of Professor in Molecular Biology and Public Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School and the Department of Molecular Biology. Mahmoud is the former President of Merck Vaccines and an expert on disease control in the developing world. Mahmoud's research and teaching at the School focuses on medical and policy issues related to global health. Mahmoud's research focuses on two areas related to global infection. The first involves examination of causes of emergence and re-emergence of microorganisms and examination of strategies for controlling infectious disease at the national and global levels including chemotherapy, vaccines and community containment. The second major area of investigations involves discovery, development and global deployment and use of vaccines. At Merck, Mahmoud has been involved in the development of four new vaccines. These include vaccines for infection with rotavirus, human papillomavirus, shingles and combination of measles, mumps, rubella and varicella. M.D. University of Cairo, D.P.H. University of Ain Shams. Ph.D. University of London.

Jessica Metcalf is an Assistant Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Public Policy, jointly appointed by WWS and EEB. She is particularly interested in the design and support of vaccination programs, with a focus on using existing data to develop locally tailored control strategies that reflect the shifting epidemiological and demographic landscape across the globe. Most of her research is based around rubella and measles, but she also works on a range of other infectious diseases, addressing issues including the evolution of drug resistance, and the challenges of disease elimination. An ecologist and evolutionary biologist by training, demographic analyses form the core of her research. She has served as technical adviser to WHO on the topic of rubella vaccination.